Fender Blues Junior

The features on this Amp. have already been described; so no need to go over that.

I'm writng a 2nd review from the previous one stated in the "triplej@india.com" I wrote in Aug.

I've since decided to sell this amp. as I feel for "live" gig situtions it's just a tad small; it tends to push the speaker when cranked with a drummer up to about 7 - 9 on the master; this forces it to break up way too much and sound rather harsh; at least for the blues rock style that I play.

I don't like using the PA to mic. it up as the venues I play in never have the time /luxury of a sound check, and there is never anyone around to run the board so the levels are never right; so I used this straight off the stage; this is where the prob. begins.

I ended up buying a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, its the big brother to this amp; and does the job for those medium sized venues w/o the need of a PA mic. so I can use it stright off the stage.

Don't get me wrong, this is a gret amp. for the bedroom and small venues; just not quite large enough for those 200 - 400 people bars w/o a PA mic.

For this I give it a 7.

No probs. here !

Never dealt w/ Fender.

The perfect amp. for the bedroom and small venues; a great tube/ bluesy sound. It lacks the guts for larger bars w/o the PA mic. Perfect for clean tones and low gain stuff; harsh when it comes to anything with any med - high gain material.

All info has been dragged out to death, so I won't bore anyone with the details here.
Mine has a nice tweed covering. Great looking little amp.
I wish it had an effects loop, but it's okay that it doesn't.
I use this amp strickly for home practice, or as a second amp for practice at home thru dual output delay unit. More than enough power for practice at home. Fun to hear two amps, the other is a Fender Deluxe.

I am using this amp stock. It is a shame that everyone needs to 'mod' the thing to death. I have found that most mods do not make the amp sound all that much better, just different. I am only tempted to change speakers, but I do that alot for fun. I do like the sound of Celestion V30's too.
Amp is not noisy. It sounds just fine for what I push through it. I play mainly rock and blues. I use an extensive pedal board set up.
The distortion is not brutal on this amp. That's good. It's fairly clean sounding, and I dirty it up at will through my board. I run the amp fairly clean.

It's a Fender. This one is dependable. It has never given me any trouble.

Never had to deal with them. I deal with the store where I purchased. They deal with Fender if need be. They say that the Fender folks are pretty reliable and pleasant to deal with.

Been playing since 1975. Own a Deluxe and a SuperSonic. All great amps. Own a Carr too, always something wrong with it. Sounds good when it's working, which is not often.
I like my Fender amps. I have owned at least 12 of them over the years. I have never had any problems. Guess I am luckier than most.
I play a Heritage H137 with dualP-90's, a very good Strat, a MusicMan AxisSuperSport, a Gibson Les Paul Jr. double cut single P90, and a home made Tele that is just awesome sounding with SD antiquities in it.
If this amp were lost or stolen? I would end up finding another. I like it's sound, size, look and portability. It's perfect for what I use it for.

I am the proud owner of an ???Acoustic Control Corporation??? 160H guitar amp???. Don???t worry, I???d never heard of them either until I discovered it (covered in dust) in a dingy old guitar shop. It???s a 1981 all valve amp and I personally have never heard an amp that has a smoother overdrive, crisper clean or sweeter reverb. If I were forced to describe it, I???d say a cross between a mesa and a fender twin. But why am I writing this???

Last year I moved to University and needed an amp to bring with me. I didn???t want to bring the ACC amp as it was too heavy, too valuable and irreplaceable. My style is very blues based ??? influences are Clapton, Gilmour, Knopfler, Stephen Stills???you get the idea! After much research (mainly harmony central!) I concluded that the Blues Junior was the way to go, along with a boss blues driver to boost the drive for the heavier stuff. I ordered online and was very excited when it arrived???

The first thing that struck me was the controls facing what I consider the ???wrong way???, in other words the knobs are dials upside down as you face the speaker. Maybe I???m missing the point, but it wasn???t a great first impression...

Now believe me, I wanted to love this amp as much as the ACC, but after many hours of playing it with my Strat, I felt somewhat disappointed. I had two big issues with it; the main one being the reverb which I felt was terrible. I couldn???t find a happy compromise ??? either you couldn???t hear the reverb at all, or it just swamped the whole sound and not in a nice way. Another problem for me was the harshness of the overdrive, with or without the blues driver. It totally lacked the ???smoothness??? that I like. After the hours of playing, I fired up the ACC and realised that it was in a different league altogether.

Having said all this, there is no question that the Blues Junior is ???good??? (the other reviews will fill you in on the good bits), but I wouldn???t say it was great. Perhaps it???s unfair to compare it with a vintage classic, but the blues junior didn???t make my strat ???come alive??? in the way the ACC does. In the end I sent the amp and boss pedal back for a refund and brought the ACC to Uni with me, the sore back is worth it!

I???m really sorry fender ??? you make great guitars but your Blues junior doesn???t quite make the grade in my books. I???m sure with some valve upgrades and other tweaks it would sound better, but I feel that after spending nearly ??400 on a 15watt amp, it shouldn???t need further attention. Finally, please bear in mind that these are only my personal opinions ??? you may love this amp, but don???t make the mistake I made of not trying one out before clicking ???BUY ???.

You know the drill on this. The only reason I don't give it a 10 here is the lack of a "standby" switch.

Beautiful for the bars I play in and the distances I travel. I place it on a bar stool for small bars { 100 - 150 people } and mic. it for med. - larger venues { 250 + }. I travel to and from gigs by bus.
I've read many reviews for mods on it; I don't get it, it's fine right outta the box; "joe beer drinking bar fly" doesn't hear the tone differences so what's the point?

No probs. as yet - had over 100 gigs to date over the past year ...

I live in Korea, is Fender even over here ?

For what I do { three piece blues / rock }, it's just what the doctor ordered ! I don't use any pedals: never have / never will w/ any amp. - use your fingers and heart !

Alright, what to say first. Well I can't really say too much, because there really aren't that many features to this amp. Which isn't really a bad thing. Volume...Gain...3 band EQ...reverb...Middle Boost (of sorts, it just adds a little spank) It was just what I was lookin' for. I'm a gigging country musician in nashville and am a Guitar player for the US Army and well, we play a lot of country tunes. It sings for classic rock and I'm convinced that you could play some heavier rock through it if you wanted. My only real complaint, is about the reverb. Its a little loose sounding to me. But that's fixable at lower levels or through a sound board.

I'm running an American Telecaster with Bill Lawrence naked singles, and it sings. It is a little bright but easily fixed with a simple EQ Pedal of your choice. I also rigged it up to run with an extension cab that I built that has an Eminence Patriot Texas Heat in it. Nothin' but beautiful sustain and country twang comin' out of this amp. I've been playin' around with my pedal board and there isn't a single thing that sounds the least bit questionable. Great Compact Gig amp.

I already use this on gigs without a backup. And all i have to say about the reliablitiy is:

"Its a Fender"

Take it for what its worth.

N/A

overall this is a great little compact gig amp. Very light and it doesn't take up much space. For the money you can't get a better amp. Like I said, the only thing is that its a little too bright. That's it.

Heavily modded. nice if it had a tremelo. Tubes just sound better.

The tone stack has been changed. all now work properly. Bias of el84s now lower and vintage 30 speaker added to a brown tolex amp.
My amp tech is great. He recommended after the mod a 12at7 in the 1st spott. I'm using 3 electroharmonics 12ax7 with good results. the el84s are jj. It could use a slightly bigger cab made of pine. Distortion is good. Clean so so. but u dont use a 15 watt amp for the cleans unless playing fairly soft.

It works bring extra tubes. Nice midranngy with vintage 30. It will do close to stevie but you need to do the mods.

I've been playing 45 year and have many or had many amps. Ive played many boutique and other amps and think with the mods this is a nice sounding amp. about a 9. Its close to a vox or matchless except for the cab.

This is basically the low down on this amp. The electronic components used are generally of secondary quality. The output transformer is the size of a peanut and the speaker is also second grade. The stock tubes flatline and leave this amp sounding dead. The tone and volume pots are flimsy and soldered onto the circuit board.

With that said....the tone you get from a stock BJ is OK. Change the tubes for some decent ones and the amp starts to sound good. The speaker doesn't do a very good job unfortunately and the sound can be harsh and muddy. Change the speaker (Vintage 30) and the improvement is substancial. Tones can still be harsh and the driving the preamp hard still has some issues. Change the inferior output transformer to something that resembles an electric component. Change the capacitors in the tone stack to get a functional EQ and the change is complete. With these changes the definition when driving the pre-amp hard is superb, fantastic handling of louder tones, mean attack and of course the clarity of the cleans is breath taking. Stock-OK Upgraded-Wow

Reliability? I don't think so. But then again, as long as you don't let heavy stuff fall on the controls, because this will break the circuit board, you should be pretty right. Unless you??re an upcoming sex pistol of course.

It's a company, I'm hoping they have customer service.

It's a good amp at the price. And when you're sick and tired of playing a good amp, you can upgrade (speaker and output transformer...the 2 most important) then you have a great amp.

I???m reviewing a BJ that I purchased new in late 2006 and have subsequently modded. I originally bought the amp because I wanted a low-wattage tube amp for home and rehearsal use. My thinking was that if I could use it at small gigs it would be a bonus. I also have a hand-made, point-to-point ???63 Vibroverb clone which is my main gigging amp. I play classic rock and R&B on an Ernie Ball/Music Man Silhouette Special with single-coils.

Well, the stock amp only made it out to 1 rehearsal. It was too thin sounding??? no depth, for lack of a better word. I also found that the overdrive was quite harsh with the pre-amp volume cranked (although I typically run my amp clean and rely on my CMATMODS Signa Drive and JAM Red Muck for overdrive/distortion).

The first mod I made was to intall an Avatar Hellatone 30 speaker (re-branded Celestion G12H). This seemed to add some fullness as the speaker is warmer and smoother, with better bottom-end than the stock Emminence.

But the amp again only made it out to 1 rehearsal as I felt it was still lacking something. I continued to use the amp at home, although the sound quality gradually deteriorated over time. As it turns out the amp was cooking the output tubes because the bias is set very hot on the stock amp.

I considered dumping the amp, but instead did some research on mods and decided to try a number of the BillM mods (lowered bias and tone-stack mods), as well as a new Mercury Magnetics output transformer. I took the amp to John Fletcher ??? a tech here in Toronto ??? and had him make the changes along with a new set of tubes (a Tung-Sol for the first 12AX7 and JJ???s in the rest of the 12AX7???s and EL84???s).

Sound quality is such a subjective thing, isn???t it? Nevertheless, the modded amp sounds significantly better to my ears. In general, the amp sounds warmer, fuller and??? ballsier.

So??? was it the BillM mods that did the trick? The output transformer? The tubes?

The tone-stack mods seem to have made the controls more effective. The amp is capable of producing more bass (limited by the size of the cabinet, of course) and I have more control over the mids.

With the pre-amp volume cranked, the overdrive is much smoother, less harsh. I???m thinking that???s the new pre-amp tubes.

According to Mercury Magnetics marketing hype, the single most important mod you can make to any amp is upgraded transformers. As I understanding it, the stock output transformer is a piece of junk, so the new one is bound to be an improvement. I???m going to attribute the ballsier sound to the transformer.

There seems to be quite a controversy over lowering the bias. All I can say is the improvement resulting from the other mods overshadows any possible negative impact and the EL84???s should last a lot longer!

Finally, although it never bothered me, the stock BJ had a fair amount of hum. The hum is significantly reduced since the mods.

I guess that I could have done all the mods separately to assess the impact of each, but I have neither the time nor the inclination. I just wanted a usable amp and that???s what I???ve got!

I???m really enjoying the amp at home and it has made it out to both rehearsals since being modded. Will it replace the Vibroverb at gigs? Probably not, although I may use it at our next gig, which is a small, 100 seat venue. The fact that I???m even considering using the BJ over the Vibroverb says something (possibly, that I???m crazy!).

The stock amp cooked tubes pretty quickly, but no problems other than that. I???ve recently had the mods done, so it???s too soon to comment on reliability, although John Fletcher???s work is top-notch!

I???ve never dealt with Fender, so I can???t comment. On the other hand, John Fletcher is great and I highly recommend him. You can get in touch with him through the Twelfth Fret in Toronto.

I can???t give the modded BJ a 10, but it???s a solid 8, which is a vast improvement over the stock amp.

15 watts made in Mexico. I had mine modded by The Ampsmith. Enough power for anywhere I play. I always leave the fat boost on.

It sounds great with a strat but with an es-335 gibson it sounds great. Very grindy. I tried lots of speakers but settled on a celestion vintage 30 (60 Watts). I tried alnico blue, a couple of different jensens and a webber 30 watt pre-rola ceramic 12 and like the vintage 30 best. There is a mid hump but I like it that way. Great for bluesy grindy fedbacky psychodelic stuff. Lots of grind and shimmer. My tech biased the tubes cooler. JJ el84s. He put in a 12 at7 inverter but it sounds good with 3 12ax7 electro harmonic tubes as well. I tried new old stock 12 ax7s and 12 ay7 and the eh 12ax7's sound just as good and they are newer. My tech converted the t,m,b so they are all completely controlable. He did something else that I am unsure of but it sounds great.

Bring extra tubes. No problems only been converted for a month or two.

I take it to the Ampsmith and he makes it sound better than stock. I have 10 amps this one is the one I take usually to a gig. I replaced the reverb with a ruby tank but went back to the original as it was to fendery and with high gain it was too much reverb. The ruby is good if you play clean with a typical fendr sound. I don't generally play too clean.

I've been playing 45 years. I have played a lot of amps. This is up with the best for sound maybe not quality. It is not point to point or hand wired. The potentiameters seem flimsy as does the input jack. Other then that it is a great grab and go amp. You dont even need overdrive pedals.

The features are all fender like really good for clean bluesy sounds.

The sound quality is really good.The sound that comes out is crystal clear (you don't have any distortion options anyway..).Even if you you want to use it together with some pedals for a heavier sound, it works cause the core of this amp is clarity...So i would suggest to try it together with some effects etc and see how it sounds.
I bought it for a practice amp but as it turned out, its power is enough for small performances.

I play 6 months already so far so good.The amp seems pretty solid together with the knobs.The only thing worth mentioning is that the 3 preamp tubes don't seem to have something to hold them in position so its better to take them off in case of carrying.

Didn't need them so far

I currently own an Epiphone LP custom and a modified Yamaha Pacifica.
If it was stolen i would instantly buy the same fantastic amp.
I just love the bluesy and clear sound that comes out of this amp.

I bought the amp in 2004 or 2005, I can't remember, and I bought it new, so It was probably made in 2004-2005. It is a really nice amp, for playing classic rock. But it's deffinatly not a metal amp. I play anything from blues, to heavy metal, and everything in between. Its an amazing blues amp, but it can't handle the higher gains...
I do wish it had a channel that would allow for high gains, but I doesn't... The reverb is great though.

I run either my Mexi strat or my Epi Les Paul Custom through, after a string of distortion and effects pedals, and it sounds ok.
the clean tones are great, its good for balads and blues, and soft rock. Buuut, thats not me. The amp itself is not noisy, but when you run a boss metal zone... it is noisy, so I also run a noise suppressor.
I run the master volume all the way up, fat switch engaged, and use the gain volume for my volume, as that doesn't distort it as much. If the amp is distorting, it wrecks the distortion from the effects string.
and the distortion from this amp couldn't kill a flea... you could deaffen it with the volume though...

Very. Very. dependable amp. I've used it in every gig for the last 3 years my band has played, with out backup. the only thing is, the reverb box has broken 2 times. soldier failour, the second time i never got it fixed... but i have dropped this amp several times, and it hasn't failed...

havn't dealt with fender...

Ive been playing almost 6 years, its been my only amp, and I'm looking into a marshall for my main amp. this will be my practice amp after that... If it were stolen... I would be mad, but I wouldn't buy another one...

Bought used with serial number removed so I can only date is a post 2003 model by the PCB. All the specs are well known to you readers. It has everything i could wish for save for maybe a standby switch. I play light and classic sounding indie rock with my 4 piece band. Mostly clean with a little saturation.

Ok, here is the thing: I am obsessed with this little amp. Ive been stalking them for several years but feared the low wattage. I love the small package and overall aesthetic. I finally bought one to take with me overseas and it sounded great off the bat. But, I have a HRD with Celestion Vint. 30 and had to try the same in my BJr. Of course, it improved the clarity and dynamics. Finally, I did the BillM TwinStack mod this afternoon. It now sounds like a dream. There's a touch too much hum with the strat single coils but overall worth it. Im curious to play with the band now. The Celestion boosted the volume a touch I think.

Not sure yet. It handled the mod just fine and seems like a solid little guy. Id rather P2P wiring but what can you do?

Not tried yet.

I give it a 9. I just cant get over the tone and surprising loud volume. Im taking a risk bringing this to Europe but if it performs well it will be my go to amp.

This is a 2008 model MIM. I am a drummer and a "strummer". I have several guitars and also a Dean Markley CD60 amp. I wanted something more portable and light weight than the DM when I go and jam with friends amd this fits the bill perfectly! My main styles are blues and rock covers - 60's to 80's/
Single channel' FAT switch etc etc.
I don't wish it had any other features because if I wanted more I would have bought something else. I did a great deal of research on this amp before I decided to go ahead and purchase it. I read the Blues Junior Mafia forum on the FDP site as well as reviews here. I tried the amp about six times at different music shops and decided to go ahead and buy it. I insisted on a BNIB model rather than one off the floor.

As I said I own several guitars. My main guitar is a self built custom strat with Lace Sensors - red dually in the bridge, a silver in the middle and a blue at the neck. I can get some awesome tones out the amp using this guitar. I play mainly rhythmn and the amp handles it very well. When I play a (basic)lead break it has the guts to cut through. I use a variety of settings depending on wht I'm playing but normally Reverb- 1, Treble- 5, Mid - 4, Bass- 6, Volume- 5 and Master- 8. I control the volume with the guitar knob.The fat switch is great when on and give the amp just that more bite. I didn't buy the optional footswitch and I usually have it off and use an MI Audio Blues Pro pedal and a Boss CE2 chorus. I just want it simple!

I have owned this amp for only 3 weeks so can't really comment.I would(when I'm capable)use it at a gig as it s bloody loud and would mike it up if needed.

I spoke to a guy at Fender Australia last week and he was extremely helpful. I was asking about mods and speaker replacement. I decided that as Fender have been building amps for what 50 years?? surely by now they would know what they doing. I may replace the speaker for a Celestion vintage 30 and JJ Tesla tubes but at this stage why bother. It has a 5 year warranty which is pretty good these days.

I have been playing or struuming guitar for about 40 years and have finally at 57 gotten serious! I'm sick of lugging my drum kit around:o)
I own a custom built strat, a Genesys Dot copy,2000 American series Strat, Maton Flamingo, MIM 1993 Strat, Maton EM 225C. As I said earlier my other amp is a Dean Markley CD60 and this compares extremely well with that .
If it were stolen I would buy another. Portable, light, loud and a good amp! Want more features? Get a different amp!! Mods? - Can't see/hear the point other than MAYBE the tubes and speakers. I wonder about those guys on the FDP forum.However Billm as he's known is very helpful.I asked him a few questions and his response was quick. I've read what he can do to possibly improve this amp but for me at this point in time ... all is well!

Early 2000's edition... All tube... "12 Fender Loud Speaker... Reverb... Black Tolex & Silver Grill mesh... 15 watts... Blah, Blah, Blah...

Simple...

Straight forward...

I've played it with a variety... From Peavey's to Gibson's... Obviously, the better the guitar, the better the sound... But it's excellent... You can tell its tube... Warm... Nice natural over drive... IT's as noisy as any other tube I've played... Not much variety in sound... It's a Fender... You get nice clean tones, to shimmery to slight over drive... When you start to push? It pushes back... Resistant to being completely overdriven... (It's neither good now bad... It's a Fender...) Keep the drive down and use a Big Muff Pi or Tube Screamer to crank it... (Had to get a MArshall for my dirtier sounds...)

Reverbs nothing to write home about...

Very dependable... Heavy sucker though... After a a few weeks of use some of the Tolex near the tubes started to peel back... I had to glue it back and tape it down with aluminum tape... Other than that? The fit and finish is solid... Knobs, inputs and switches as solid... Graphics and name plate solid as well...

Never dealt with the company... After about 7-8 years its still thumping strong...

Been playing about 10 years...

Currently...

I have a completely moded Epiphone Dot, Schecter Hellraiser, Guild Cherrywood Acoustic...

A selection of MXR, Dunlop & EHX Pedals...

Fender Blues Jr., Marshall MG100 Half-Stack, Silvertone 10 watt practice...

If it were lost I would def get another... It's quite handy, and very very loud... Good for clean tones, or when I don't feel like moving the massive half stack...

My amp is a tweed 1995 Made in USA Blues Junior. It is still stock with the original Eminence speaker and green circuit board. I believe the later Blues Juniors have a cream circuit board that makes the overall sound quite a bit brighter. The amp features have been listed by other reviewers so I won't go into them in detail. Without any pedals in front of it the Blues Junior is a one trick pony - it does a great LOUD clean for 15 watts and that's about it. Hence the 6 for features. I bought the amp for home use but have gigged with it for the last 10 years as it is so easy to transport.

I have 2 Strats (a US Strat Plus and early 80's Jap JV), a G&L ASAT semihollow, and a Washburn J9 Jazz guitar. I play mainly indie pop rock and some fingerstyle jazz. The amp has a fairly dark, mid-rangey sound with all the tone controls set at 12 o'clock. I find that this darker voicing really suits brighter guitars like strats and tele's as it helps smooth off the naturally hyped top end. My J9's humbuckers sound like mud without some creative EQ and the extended bottom end of this guitar makes the cabinet rattle at certain frequencies. I've tried out the later Blues Juniors but I don't like their sound at all. IMHO they are far too bright and lack depth or body. I'd call them pokey. I much prefer the darker sound of my green circuit board model.

When the mid tone control is rolled back to 3 and the bass and treble are turned up to 8 or 9 some classic Fender clean tones start to emerge from the mid range fog. I leave the tone controls set around this region. The fat switch introduces a further layer of mid range mud and I never use it. The amp's natural overdrive is nothing to rave about. I try to keep the amp clean and use a Boss OD-1 for overdrive or my DG Stomp modelling amp for anything heavier. The Blues Junior loves pedals. Even using a simple boost pedal pushes the tubes a little bit harder and give more warmth and body to the tone. The original Groovetubes tubes did nothing for the amp and I replaced them with a matched set of JJ Tesla's from Bob at Eurotubes.com. I highly recommend these tubes for squeezing every last drop of sweetness from the amp. The reverb on these early Jnrs is, ummm, bad. It is noisy and the reverb quality is average at best. I never use it. The sound quality is 7 with the JJ tubes in, 5 without. For the record the sound of a Vox AC30 comes close to a 10 for me.

The gain volume pot has never been right from new. Not much happens until you reach 4 and then it springs to life at a fairly ear splitting volume. The input jacks are poorly constructed and are evil to replace. I've been through 2 even though I'm gentle with my gear.

Other than that the amp has been very reliable. It's been gigged in some pretty extreme temperature/humidity environments and has never complained once.

Fender Australia are a waste of time. Send them a question and you won't hear a thing. Their website has a disclaimer directing people with complaints or questions to a Fender dealer. I prefer to cut out the middle man and buy any Fender stuff directly from the US over the net.

I've been playing for 30 years, but I started when I was 5 so I'm not THAT old (yet) :-) I have a Roland Cube 30 as my other amp at home and I really like it for clean tones. My J9 Jazz guitar loves that amp. The Cube 30 can pull off a sound very similar to the Blues Jnr at a fraction of the cost, but it won't go as loud as the Blues Jnr.

If my Blues Jnr was stolen I'd probably go looking in the Vox or even Laney direction for another low wattage amp. I tried a Laney VC15 a while back and it had beautiful chiming cleans and the kind of valve break up I wish the Blues Jnr had on board.

I got one of the pre-2001 amps. Appearantly there were some changes made to the reverb section.

15 watts all tube
preamp: 3 x 12AX7
power: dual EL84
12 inch speaker

there are two volume controls, one for the preamp and the master vol for the power section

It's pretty cut and dry. no distortion or overdrive channel. it has a fat switch, I think most people just leave it engaged. No effects loop either, however it takes the whole pedal chain really well before the amp input.

I'm using a mex strat with Dragonfire pickups in the neck and bridge and a DiMarzio Blue Velvet in the middle.

From the guitar straight into the amp it sounds great. it has a really nice soft clean fender tube tone that's well compressed, but not quite as poppy (responsive) as the older fender amps. For amps of this size the only one I usually compare it to is the Peavey Classic 30. I think that on clean, this one cut through a little stronger than the Peavey. To beat this one out on tone you'd have to venture up into the thousand dollar price tags.

Again there's no onboard drive channel, but it really processes preamps well. I currently use a Nady TD-1 for my distortion and a Boss SD-1 for overdrive boost. Like all tube amps, it sounds great with the tubescreamer type overdrives. My favorite to play with is the Chandler tube driver. They sound great together, especially if you're into that Eric Johnson tone. I've always thought that a good base for using well controlled distortion and overdrive is a clean fender

I had a power tube fail on me once, but that was with the stock Groove tubes. I never really liked groove tubes, so I got some Sovteks which supposedly are from the same factory. I felt like there was a noticably better difference between the two and I haven't had any tube problems since.

Fender will be around forever they got really good warrantees too. I think I got mine with 5 year warrantee. I think they're about as good as you're gonna get

The value of this amp has carried over the last 14 years or so. I think I got mine when it was selling for about $250 back in 1997. Since then it's been steadily rising and I've seen more of them up on stage at big concerts.

I seem to have outgrown the desire to have a fullstack behind me on stage, now I usually put this amp in front of me and mic it through the PA mix. That's pretty much how they usually work it even if you got a monster set.

This is by far the best tube amp tone for the money out there.

As a player of rock and blues I feel this amp has everything I need. Great cleans and an overdrive that is enough. The reverb is a great touch for lots of clean stuff I like to play especially Hendrix. The fat switch adds a nice touch of mid and gain to your sound so I found it quite useful. A well deserved 8 to me of course.

I use a Mexican made stratocaster with stock pick ups and let me tell you this thing can pull out some nice warm cleans, sprinkle a little reverb on top of that and you have a beautiful clean tone. Now for that overdrive, I was a bit hesitant when I first got it as I was not able to turn the master above 2, but as soon as I went to my band practice cranked the master to 4 and the volume to 12 and I was amazed at how creamy the overdrive was, you will not be disappointed blues and rock fans. I have a Fulltone OCD coming in the mail soon, I'm very excited to see how these two pair up with one another.

So far no problems, the amp is very well built in my opinion and feels as sturdy as a rock.

None needed.

I think this is a fantastic value for a musician on a pretty low budget looking for a gig worthy amp that has tone unlike the losers that use the Marshall MG's at my school.

I bought it from a friend. I think it was new back in 2005. I have owned it for a year and use it to play small clubs. It is my main practice amp at home. I use the fat switch all the time. Never turn it off. Mine is stock but it came with a beam blocker which I don't think is a major modification.
Nice compact cab. Decent reverb (had to buy a new tank for it), and good controls. Decent stock speaker. Pretty average features for a small amp. IT'S PLENTY LOUD. Takes pedals well.

I play mostly clean. My band does classic oldies and some classic rock from the American and English sides of the Atlantic. Think Beatles, Dave Clark 5, hollies, Jerry and the Pacemakers, Buddy Holly, Dion, Ventures, Beach Boys, etc. We also venture into Cream, Stones, ZEP, Doobie Bros, Eagles and other "Classic Rock" stuff where a little overdrive is needed. I use a MXR Distortion III (M-115) pedal for overdrive.
Cleans are very round and clear with a Strat. Slightly more hair when using a Les Paul. The OD pedal works well with this amp. Nice harmonics push through in either clean or overdriven modes. This is a nice sounding little amp. Yes it is overpriced, but if you pick one up used it's worth it. I stole mine for a mere 200 and paid another 40 for a reverb pan replacement. I'm using Telefunken 7189 tubes for the most headroom along with American made NOS preamp tubes.
With the Master volume at 10 (goes to 12) I use the gain (drive) knob to set the volume. Stays clean to about 5-6. Pretty loud at this setting. Can't really find anything to complain about. It's a good sounding compact amp. I'm very happy with it in all respects.

Seems well built. Who knows?

I've been playing in bands since the 80s. I own other amps besides the BJr. My guitars are all strats or Les Pauls. My large venue amp is a Blues Deluxe with a matching tweed extension cab.
To sum it up: This is a very nice 15 watt tube amp with a great sound for clean or slightly overdriven sound, which is what i use it for. I'm very satisfied with it. I'd buy another one.

Mine is an '07 model, made in Mexico. I find the amp to have a very warm disposition to it, compared to the emotionless tone of my old line-6. Has very good tone for texas blues, tons of mid, especially with a tube screamer. Having separate volume and master volume controls is nice, as it lets you get a little more grit out of the amp at lower volumes. The reverb is useable, I don't use very much, but it could be better. However, when compared to the complete garbage reverb found in some other small amps, this one performs nicely.

I play a Stratocaster with seymour duncan texas hots in it, and mainly play through the neck pickup. I hear people complain about the strat lacking mid, but with this amp and pickups, can get a very strong, SRV like tone out of it, no lack of mid here. I'm not a big fan f the "fat" switch, as it really doesn't suit my tone at all, I just really don't like the kind of overly muddy sound it gives it, it's like turning your tone knob waaay down. Overall, this is the best 15 watt amp I have heard, and with a price of around $500 CDN new, it's also one of the most affordable.

Just picked it up a few days ago, no problems as of yet.

Haven't dealt with fender in regard to this amp yet, however they have been good in the past about other things.

I love this amp's tone, especially when used with my keeley tube screamer. If it was stolen, I'd buy another one, or break the neck of whoever stole it. Great little practice amp.

Standard BJ with Fender Eminence speaker. Can't really give it 10... I just wish it had emulated headphones so I could enjoy it into the wee small hours!

SOUND QUALITY. This is why I'm writing a review and I hope this will help if, like me, you're maybe not quite so expert at choosing gear and rely on these reviews for guidance.

I've been playing on and mostly off, for years and have just got back into it ??? with good gear, a tutor and (now I'm a bit older) a much more critical appreciation for TONE. I (try to) play 52 reissue and 60's classic Telecasters. Having flirted with Les Pauls and a 333, I have come to the conclusion that I love Fender tone... I might add a Strat just to see the look on my wife's face!

I have just bought the 'Standard' Blues Junior. I already have the Limited Edition with the Jensen C12N, which I've had for six months. (Don't ask why I've got them both... long story, but I've sold the Ltd Edition and it's waiting to be wrapped and posted... mistake... read on).

I've read all the reviews about changing the speakers, with a mix of curiosity and scepticism. It's to answer the few reviewers who state that changing the speaker will only make minimal difference...

YOU MUST HAVE CLOTH EARS!!!

The difference is HUGE. The stock speaker is okay, but when you play them alongside each other it sounds thin and almost tinny. Some might say 'bright', but I think it lacks any of the warmth and creamy depth of the Jensen. It's like the difference between strawberries and milk ??? and strawberries and cream.

CONCLUSION: Try it stock and if you like it that way, fine, but be prepared to spend ??60.00 for the upgrade.

I still give it 8 with the stock speaker, but 12 with the Jensen!

As a platform for upgrade I give it 10.

You know the basics of this 15 watt one channel amp, Volume, 3 Tone controls T, M, B, Fat Switch. Master Volume and Reverb a 12" speaker in a small cab, easy to carry and loud enough to gig.

Sound is okay but not clean enough or tight enough for Jazz at moderate levels, okay for Rock and Blues. What the heck it's called a Blues Jr. right? I would have liked it better a bit cleaner and giged with it more often. You can get a pretty good OD sound using the master and the Fat switch.

Got this amp free. Didn't not work, some parts had been removed or replaced as a mod was done and as far I could tell it didn't go well for the original owner. Some of the problems were: Reverb tank didn't work and the factory fixed bias had been set too high and burned the sockets, fried the tubes and some resistors. Several resistors looked chared, a few had been replaced with different values, a hole was burned in the mother board. The plastic volume pot and the plastic input jack were broken off.

Time for some repairs. Got some new resistors a reverb tank, volume pot and input jack. Patched the hole in the PCB and wired in some circuits where it was fried.

Found a schematic on the net. That's is all I needed.

Okay I got it working and is sounded pretty good. I learned just how cheap Fender can make an amp and sell it. I would not buy this amp even new, they cut too many corners on quality. I know several good players using them and they seem to like them. I think they will do a good job for a few years and then you'll have some trouble, well I hope not. For the same monney or less I think you can find a better amp.

15 watts, single channel, 12" 8 ohm Eminence speaker, one input, Volume (gain), Master volume, Highs, Mids, Lows, "Fat" switch, Reverb, 8 Ohm speaker out, optional footswitch input for "Fat" boost, On/Off switch. A very simple, but versatile amp.

The only thing I wish this amp had was a standby switch and another speaker out. You have to disconnect the internal speaker if you want to use an extension speaker or cab.

I use this primarily with a Fender American Strat HSH (DiMarzio HB at bridge, Seymour Duncan HB at the neck, stock Fender single coil in the middle), Fender American Tele with stock single coils, Gibson Faded SG with stock pickups. I also play a Epiphone Casino with P-90 pickus, and a Gibson LP Studio with stock pickups through it at times.

I play in a Classic Rock band and this is the tone I am after, that late 60's, early 70's overdrive. Think ol' Bad Company. After all these years that is still the overdrive I love, not really a fan of the modern super-distortions.

I might be a little different than most posters here who talk about the great clean tones you can get with this amp. That's absolutely true, you can get pristine, warm cleans, very beautiful with some soul, not dead like so many amps. But I prefer dirty tones, that overdrive of yester-year. I like to crank Volume (which is really your gain)to max (12), and then adjust volume with Master. I usually crank Bass and Mids to max, and set Highs about 6-7. Believe it or not I get a very old school Marshall tone like this. I turn up Master to get the volume I need for solos, then turn down using my guitar's volume to clean up a little for my rhythm sounds.

This amp makes a little noise when Volume and Master are maxed, but really not that much, no problem at all. At lower settings it is very quiet.

If you turn the knobs you can get a lot of different tones out of this amp. I find you have to keep Lows higher than most amps, otherwise this amp can sound smaller or "boxy" as some complain. But with Lows up high it sounds very full. I leave the Fat switch engaged at all times, I just like a fuller sound.

With Volume and Master maxed and my guitars volume maxed you get a very thick, but singing tone great for lead guitar. It has good sustain and sounds very "alive" which is important to me. I like lead guitar to sound on the verge of out of control. I get good harmonics and it's easy to get feedback too. I am kinda in that old Hendrix school, I like my guitar to make some noise when playing lead. For rhythm guitar this is a little too much and you can lose string definition, my Casino with P-90s especially. So I back off my guitar's volume just enough to get a good tight sounding crunch. Sometimes I back the volume off to get a clean setting, but not completely clean at these settings. But that's the way I like it, I like a bit of breakup even playing clean. After all, it's ROCK music!!

So, this amp can get some great Classic Rock overdrive. But you can't get Metal tones or Grunge or any of that stuff. You can do that with pedals though and it sounds great.

The reverb is very good in my opinion, I keep it around 2-3. But you can get some good Surf tones at higher settings. Some complain about the reverb, but I think it is just fine.

After all that, the best thing I can say about this amp is this; I own quite a few amps including a Hot Rod Deluxe, Epi Valve Jr through a 2 X 12 with Celestion Vintage 30s, a Marshall DSL401, and a very old '58 Premier 2 X 8 amp. These are all good sounding amps, but I always come back to the Blues Jr. It just sounds better. In fact when I bought this amp I tried many amps in this size and power range like the Vox, Peavey, Crate (tube) and others. But I kept coming back to the Blues Jr everytime. It is not the perfect amp, such a thing doens't exist, but it is very, very good. I like the old school single channel amp sound, and the Blues Jr does it very well.

My amp has a little problem, I have to make sure the power tubes are seated well before I play or they can make some noise. There might be a short or cold solder, I'm not sure. I have to make sure they are completely vertical. So, before I play I push up on them, and make sure they are vertical. I can play for many hours without a problem. I am not afraid to gig with this amp and have many times. I probably should have taken it back, but I just push on the tubes and play. Other than this minor problem the amp has been problem free. I have owned many Fender amps and they are reliable in my opinion.

I've never contacted Fender, so I can't give an opinion here. 5 year warranty.

I've been playing 36 years, played in bands as a teen, took 20 years off (marriage, family), but have played consistently in bands the last 10 years. I own seven electrics, two acoustics, five amps, and two full PAs, guitar pedals all over the place. If my BJ were lost or stolen, I am not sure if I would buy it again, not because it is not a great amp, but just because I am always trying something new. I have gone through many amps over the years. But, I might. I love that the BJ is a small portable amp (sick of hauling heavy gear) with very good tone at a very affordable price. I have owned many amps that cost more that didn't sound nearly as good.

In it's price range, the Blues Jr is one of the best sounding amps out there. Forget the gadgets, go for the tone!

Ok I'll add my 2 cents. Mine's one of the 2003 models, made in Mexico. Screamin little amp, very portable, plenty of power for practice, mic it for gigs. Not exactly feature-packed, footswitch for boost is about it.

Use with all kinds of guitars. Crank it up, that's where the tone is. Does what it's supposed to do.

Fat button on the panel never worked, footswitch still works tho. Doesn't make a lot of difference anyway. No standby switch so turn the master down until the tubes warm up and they'll last longer. Always take a backup to a gig, are u crazy?

Never dealt with Fender.

Everyone who plays out should have one of these things. Seriously, probably the best size/sound/price ratio of any amp out there. Easy to carry, plenty of tone, not too pricey. I'm a 20+ year player and have all kinds of equipment. I'd buy another one of these tomorrow,

Volume- essentially a gain knob to get some nice crunch paired with a master knob which actually controls the volume so you can get breakup at low volumes or cleans at higher volumes if you want. Also has treble, mid, bass knobs and a "fat" switch. Has a built in spring reverb tank. No standby switch on this 15W all tube amp. There is also a footswitch to control the fat setting (on/off).

I play more alternative rock than anything and it can get some really nice tone. Its good for any kind of rock/blues style. I would not recommend it for metal. It has a slight hum which is to be expected. My Boss DS-1 modded distortion sounds nice through it. I also have a bigger distortion pedal that sounds great through my epiphone valve junior but not through this blues junior. I havent messed with the settings on it yet though. The reverb sounds fantastic; one of the reasons I bought this amp. I usually use an effects chain but I actually prefer to plug straight into this amp because the tone is so nice.

When I got it the reverb tank was broken, which I hear is a very common problem. I ordered a new one for $29.05 so easy fix! Hopefully this new one will last longer (it is the same model; Accutronics 8EB2C1B) because I try to take good care of my stuff. I would imagine if I brought this around to gigs a lot, the reverb tank would likely break again. It takes a reverb pedal well enough though. Obviously, since it's a tube amp, it is more likely to break than a solid state. I definitely would not tour with this amp without a backup, and I would feel more comfortable if I had a backup on any gig.

As a straight up amp, this thing kicks butt. The only reason it is not my main amp is because my Valve Jr takes pedals better. Plugging straight in though, this beats the pants off the Valve Jr. Also; this thing KICKS! It is LOUD!

Single channel, single input with gain and master volume. Three band EQ and a good sounding reverb. The stock tubes and speaker are adequate. Nice compact, lightweight cabinet. There is a FAT switch that adds some fatness to the sound, which I keep on all the time. It has a red indicater lamp. Black tolex, chrome chassis. PCB circuit board populated with average, generic components. Output is a LOUD 15-18 watts. No doubt about it, this is a nicely sized club amp and recording amp with classy features for its price.

I'm using this with a 1986 BOSS ME 5 and a 90s Les Paul Standard, loaded with a 490R and a 498T Gibson pickups. I have played Fender Strats and Telecasters through this too but my Gibby is the main deal.
My present musical project involves a lot of clean rhythm playing in a 4 piece oldies (surf, rockabilly, 60s British and so on) band. We also do a lot of 60s and 70s classic rock (Eagles, Led Zep, Doobies, Santana and so on) so I do use some overdrive and distortion patches for that stuff. Our typical club dates involve medium sized rooms and crowds of 50-100 people. Coffee houses and sports bars/restaurants mainly. I have a 2006 sixty watt Fender Blues DeVille 4 by 10 amp for larger shows. It's a very nice amp too, but our bookings are about 90% smaller rooms so it doesn't get near the playtime that the Blues Junior does.
The Blues Junior is quiet. Even at higher gain levels it is quiet with the Les Paul. I don't use the amp's OD very much but it sounds good enough to use for heavier jams, all by itself. It records
For clean playing the amp has a sweet, fat sound using the ME 5 and the LP guitar. The clean patch on the ME 5 is nothing but pre EQ. No gain, no effects and no compression. Works very well for surf and early British stuff. Very sparkly. I also use a second patch that has a little overdrive but mostly clean tones, for a very slight overdrive. A third patch is decidedly overdriven and a fourth patch is a medium crunch rhythm or solo distortion tone depending on the pickup choice.
The amp stays clean till about 6 on the dial with the clean patches. With the overdrive and crunch patches the amp gives up nice harmonics. No problem with the stock speaker under heavy OD and Distortion.

No problems so far.

I fix my own stuff.

Thirty five year player. I have performed with all manner of gear over the years, in all kinds of bands. The Blues Junior fits into my present scheme of musical expression and I see a place for it after this band is over.
It sounds very, very good and it's light, loud enough and reliable. That's the bottom line, it has all the attributes necessary for the project I'm involved in. It's the right tool for the job I'm doing, you could say.
I would buy this amp again, to use in similar circumstances and I'll be keeping it long after this project is closed out. I'm totally satisfied with it.